Gateway Pilots

For a blast from the past, take a look at America’s Flying Salesman (Oct. 1955). It is a reprint from Mechanix Illustrated magazine. Here is the first page of the article. You can see the rest when you follow the link.

From the February Meeting

Tom Sparr talked about the history of the C130 both as a cargo carrier and as a gun ship. He flew both versions. Prior to Viet Nam he flew the cargo ship delivering supplies to American troops and to Indian troops during the Sino-Indian border dispute of 1962. Showed the evolution of the parachute delivery systems and how heavy equipment was delivered. During Viet Nam, Tom volunteered to fly a gun ship. Showed the evolution of the gun ship armament from its beginning in Viet Nam to today. (Click on the photo below to see it larger.)

We welcomed new members - Bob Vasquez, and Tom and Nancy Sparr - who were coerced (oops, I meant encouraged) to join by Bob Kraemer.

March Meeting

The Wednesday, March 19, 2008 meeting will be at The Columns. Don Dunn will be our guest speaker. He is a retired airline pilot who flew for two major airlines. He recently retired (again?) as an FAA inspector for Part 121 operations at the St. Louis FSDO. He also flew the L1011 Flying Hospital which had a staff of doctors and nurses for missions n Africa and Europe.

Phone your reservations to Jean Murry.

Upcoming Events

You can always find the latest list of upcoming MPA events on our web site at http://gatewaypilots.org/upcoming-events/.

This year, all meetings on are the third Wednesday of the month except in February and December. See the upcoming events page for weather minimums and times.

Gateway Pilots Web Site

Did you know that there are good things on the web site that did not make it into the newsletter? Drop by www.GatewayPilots.org.

From the January Meeting

Tracy Smith, St. Charles County Smartt airport manager, thoroughly regaled us with tales of training United States Navy pilots. He had the room in stitches several times and we all left proud of the job done by our naval aviators.

February Meeting

The Tuesday, February 12, 2008 meeting will be at The Columns. Our guest speaker, Tom Sparr, is a retired corporate pilot who flew jets for a major corporation. Prior to that, Tom flew many variants of the C-130 in Viet Nam, including the gun ship version. He has two Distinguished Flying Crosses and numerous Air Medals. Presently he flies a burgundy and cream Stinson based at St. Charles Smartt Field.

Phone your reservations to Jean Murry.

Upcoming Events

You can always find the latest list of upcoming MPA events on our web site at http://gatewaypilots.org/upcoming-events/.

This year, all meetings on are the third Wednesday of the month except in February and December. See the upcoming events page for weather minimums and times.

Gateway Pilots Web Site

Did you know that there are good things on the web site that did not make it into the newsletter? Drop by www.GatewayPilots.org.